Maps, geography and the web

New Jersey's 13th Congressional District: the 10th least compact U.S. House District, by our reckoning

We’ll be launching our Redistricting the Nation site on October 5th 21st and we’ve decided to kick it off in style (and give our loyal blog readers a sneak peek of what is to come) by counting down through America’s ten least compact Congressional districts.

Coming in at the 10 spot is NJ-13. This Garden State district — first created in 1933 — includes parts of Jersey City, Newark, and the New Jersey coastline. In fact, if it didn’t sneak out into the water, the district’s upper and lower halves wouldn’t be contiguous. Experts are divided on how congressional districts in New Jersey will change form following the 2010 U.S. Census. The state may even lose a House seat, meaning that this could be your last chance to marvel at the shape of the Thirteenth and ask yourself “Y?” Others on the team insist that the district looks a bit like a scorpion. Weigh in with your opinion or join our office game of Redistricting Rorschach by leaving your interpretation in the comments.

Update: The site launch has been changed to October 21st– check out the exciting news. Great content remains consistent.